Momma, Where Are You From?

by Marie Bradby, Marie Bradby

Momma describes the special people and surroundings of her childhood, in a place where the edge of town met the countryside, in a time when all the children at school were brown. By the creators of More Than Anything Else.

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Realistic Fiction, Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

I grew up in the suburbs on the East Coast, the sixth of seven children. I attended public schools, I was a Girl Scout, played soccer, was a majorette and played the clarinet and oboe through college. After I graduated from Hampton University, I worked as a journalist for newspapers and magazines for years.

My husband and I have one child -- a teen-age son -- and I became interested in writing children's literature when he was an infant. I began seriously studying children's literature by reading, attending writing workshops, writing, and joining professional writers' organizations and a critique group. To pay for books on writing, attending workshops and organizational memberships, I worked as a free-lance writer for various magazines.

It took about eight years before my first book was published.

When I am not writing, I enjoy gardening, playing tennis, biking, yoga, and of course, reading.

Reviews

[(NS) Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a poetic story of a young girl questioning her mother of where she has come from in the past. Her mother responds with a a detailed vision of chores she did, peas she ate, school her siblings attended way across town, sidewalks ending, and daily familar faces. This child wants to go to where her Momma came from, but the only way to get there is through the journey of Momma's memories.

The moment I opened this book I was mesmorized by the incredible illustrations. I felt as if Momma was truly telling me about her journey. I think with the wonderful details and descriptive routnies about Momma's past will make a very clear and vivid picture in a child's mind. I think this is a very appropriate way to explain to young students how the past for colored people is very much not like the lives they live today.

[Delicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: fiction, picture book
Topic: life as a young, African-American girl in rural America; life in the 1930's/1940's
Theme: one's heritage, life in a rural area, pride in one's identity
Illustrations: The illustrations are very bright and colorful. They are very accurate to the historical times the story is set in. They reveal many details about life during the 1930's/1940's. They are highly supportive of the text.
Reading Level: transitional
Use: independent reading; guided reading, read aloud
Literary Elements: repetition, poetic prose

Thoughts:

Momma, Where Are You From? is the story of a young, African-American girl growing up in rural America during the 1930's/1940's. The story is told with a sense of pride. It reads much like a poem, with one stanza per page. The text and the illustrations work together to depict life in a rural area during that time frame.

The book is for transitional readers. There are multiple lines of text on each page. The text moves around on the pages. The most challenging part is the black text on very dark colored pages and the white text on black backgrounds. The words are primarily two syllable words. There is a large number of high frequency words. The illustrations are highly supportive of the text.

[SaraLaLa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon being asked "Momma, where are you from?" an older woman (it almost looks like her grandma) begins to answer more WHEN she is from than anything else. When directly asked once again WHERE, she answers in almost a "once upon a time, in a far, far place" kind of way. Perhaps that was done purposefully so more people could relate to it? I don't know. That is my only issue with this book.

The illustrations are beautiful, but the words paint their own picture with the descriptive language. I think the author does a great job creating the feeling of living in that time and place. It's a little bit nostalgic but also touches on the real issues of inequality (while keeping it from being too intense for little children). This would be a great intro book for the discussion of segregation in the primary level of an elementary school.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Kindergarten to 3rd grade (must understand concept of a memory story)
Media: Thick pastel to emphasize movement
Illustration Style: Composition always includes many people or close shots of faces, full of light and warmth

An African-American mother shares her childhood with her curious daughter. The mother connects each event or special memory to where she’s from, taking care to lightly mention her childhood curiosity towards segregation. The activities the mother describes can be easily transcribed to her daughter’s experiences.

[Alyce Dougan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story about a young girl who asks her mother where she came from. The mother never answers directly, but describes her life poetically. The illustrations as well as the poetic language in this book are beautiful. I would highly recommend this book for children and I think it would be a great book to read in a classroom. English teachers could read this book to their students, then have them write a poem where they came from.

[Andrew Stockle · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Momma, Where Are You From?” is a story about a Daughter who asks her mother where she is from. This launches the mother into her memories as she reminisces about the past and remembers all of the activities which she did as a young girl, from helping with laundry to spending time with family. This book is painted and the text is almost integrated into the story (so much so that it is difficult to read at times). The pictures tell the story much better than the text does. A young child would likely find this book difficult to understand because of the frequent flash-backs into memory without informing the reader that that is what is happening. This book would be more appropriate for ages 10 and up. I would use this book to encourage children to remember their childhood and what they are going through so one day they can share what they have learned with their own children. I would also use this book to encourage my students to talk to their parents and Grandparents and learn from their experiences.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

My personal reaction was i loved the overall meaning of having pride in ones identity. As well as the historical value it shows of her mothers time. For example, Got any rags to sell? Ten cents a pound," this shows the children the significance of money and the value of money today compared to back then.

The purpose of the book would be to real aloud for curricular reasons. This would be appropriate for students in third grade. The students could also read the,selves. I would specifically touch on the theme how people have different heritages and how families are different and how this shapes who we are as a person. The illustrations are on point to what actually happened in that time in history. This narrative has lots of dialogue, and repetition, as well as metaphors. The mother is narrating her childhood in a way of memories. This can be used in the classroom with a unit on family.

[Hannah Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal reaction: I really liked this book because of how diverse it was. As the mother talked about where she came from and what her family had been through, it was really eye opening for me because of how different life was in those days.

Purpose: This would be a great book to read aloud to 3rd to 5th graders because of the more difficult concepts, vocabulary, and phrases. This book contains a lot of phrases that were used in older times, like talking about how they washed their clothes, which could be beneficial during a history lesson. It also talks about how the girl's mother went to school before desegregation, which could provide an important history lesson for the children as well.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've decided to read 29 children's book during Black History month 2016. This was book #11. Momma, Where Are You From? By Marie Bradby and illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet. All children want to know about their momma and how did she get to how she is today. The trip down memory lane recounts a life lived hard but enjoyed with tons of love. The illustrations are extremely detailed as you can see individual braids. However, most of the pictures are dark making it difficult to read some of the storyline. Wish I knew about this book when my girls were little.

[Whitney Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Momma, Where Are You From, is a beautiful story and can be used for a bedtime read all the way to a writing prompt in the classroom. This wonderful story teaches children to be interested in family history and heritage. There are endless activities that the story fosters. I plan on reading this to my second grade class and then have them write about where they are from. This book is warm and kind and I love what it has to offer!

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Historical Fiction book about a mother describing her childhood to her daughter. The mother was raised in a small town where racism was very much a large part of their lives. She talked about how they would drive wagons, and order ice blocks, and wash clothes outside. This book would show children what life was like before they were born and give them the opportunity to compare it to life as it is today.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read to kids of all ages. The book explains where all "momma" is from. It discusses her life as a child and has great illustrations and descripting words. After this book, I would have students create an "I am from" poem of their own. They could then share these poems with the class and it would be a great writing activity. It would also allow students to express themselves and their lives in a new, different way.

[Harrison Yates]

I would utilize this book during black history month in my classroom to show my students the struggles that people who lived in the mid 1900s were faced with as an African American. This story goes into detail of what a black woman went through growing up. She tells her daughter stories of how her mother would fix them dinner and make money for the family by selling their clothes as rags. I believe this book is mostly appropriate for 3rd grade and up.

[Kandice Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl learning about where her mother is from. Her mother tells her stories and memories from her childhood that reveal where she is truly from. It is a journey through her life. This book would be wonderful to read to children before you ask them where they are from. This would be a great book to have the children either write and tell about where they are from or draw a picture showing where they are form.

[Lindsey Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would be great to read through when talking about another culture, having pride in your identity, knowing where you came from, or even understanding the influence every individual and event had on shaping you. Through this book, students could question many different things to learn more about themselves and their peers. This is a great book to use in understanding differences and accepting.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a touching look at past days, and a mother's memory of her own childhood. She obviously had a good family and childhood, but she does not shy away from the hard parts of being African American in those days. There were no sidewalks going into her neighborhood, and her siblings had to ride the bus a long way to the school where everyone was brown, when there was a school right up the street. But overall the book has a sweet and hopeful tone.

[Tony Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are amazing in this book. They were bright and vivid. I love how the way the mother didn't give a clear answer to her daughter. Instead of the typical answer about the place where she was born in, the mother gave a different response. Her response was that of memories of her childhood and what she experienced. The text in the book would be quite hard to follow for children if the pictures were not available though.

[Kim Barth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a poetic story of a mother answering her daughter's questions about her childhood. The book provides a glimpse into an African American family both in the past and today. The story could spark a discussion of the changes brought about by the Civil Rights movement. It also encourages readers to be proud of their own family traditions.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mentor text to get kids thinking about topics for writing. A young girls asks her mother where she's from. Rather than providing her daughter with the name of the place where she was born, the mother recalls childhood memories with descriptive language that creates a picture of what it must have been like to grow up in that time and place.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

gorgeous illustrated book that is warming and shows so much family and love through the pictures adn words. life as it was is found interesting to some children as they look up to their parents or those in their family. teaching how things were is important to some's heritage. this is important to know where you came from and what your family faced this is a beautiful book.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books starts with a daughter asking her mother where she is from. Her mothers tells her all about her life growing up in the south. This is meant for younger students, but I think it could also be used for older kids to address people's heritage. It would be a great way to start a mini lesson on writing a "I am From" poem.

[Morgen Shambaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story and it is a great segway into getting students to tell where they are from too! The author does a great job incorporating how where you are from is all about the little things, that actually seem like the big things once you are all grown up. I love this book and all its metaphors.

[Sean Gresham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love the book... but I really love the activity that you can do after reading it. Have students create their own where are you from poems and the teacher can share his/hers as well. This is great for writing and thinking critically but also is a community building exercise. Probably best for 3rd and up

[Sarah Federspiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story in which a young girl asks her mother "Where are you from?" and her mother proceeds to tell her about many of her memories she has of being a kid that make her who she is today. I love the concept of this book and how it uses the idea of memories to tell someone who they are.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful picture book showing the connections between generations, as one child asks where her mother comes from and the rural past of the 1930s/1940s breathes life into the present. Beautiful illustrations showcase the power of things, places, memories, and, most importantly, people, when it comes to forming who we are. Highly recommended.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Momma, where are you from?" a little girl asks. Her mother's reply is filled with rich details as she recounts memories from her childhood. She recalls the cries of the ragman looking to buy worn-out clothes, the tunes of Ellington and Basie, and of the warm family gatherings that took place every Friday night.

[Madi Harenza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Momma, Where Are You From? is a great book for readers who are intrigued by history and stories from the past. When reading the story, I felt engaged and intrigued about learning more about the young girl's familial history. It is a great book about the past for African Americans and their hard work.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was a good demonstration of life pre civil rights movement. Students would enjoy this book because not only is it old fashion, it makes you realize that not everyone is really that different.

[Season Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A loving story a mother tells her daughter about where she is from. I have used this book many times in my classroom, especially during poetry units. Students can identify with "where they are from" and write their own story.

[Kate Busch]

This is a great book to use in the classroom. We used it to introduce a writing assignment of "where are you from?" The book does a great job of covering a deeper meaning. You could use this for elementary or middle school as it has a deep meaning and you can adapt assignments to match.